The NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner, Dr James Cockayne, has announced the appointment of his Advisory Panel for FY 2025-2026. Thirteen of the experts involved in FY 2024-2025 return to the panel. They are joined by an additional seven leading specialists committed to enhancing the Commissioner’s initiatives to combat modern slavery in NSW.
The 2025-2026 Advisory Panel boasts a diverse array of professionals from fields such as sustainable finance, procurement, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), research, policy making, law, migration, humanitarian assistance, healthcare, unions, business, community support services, and survivor advocacy.
In line with the Commissioner's commitment to centring survivors in policy, program design and delivery, the Panel includes equal representation of people with lived and learned experience of modern slavery. Additionally, many panel members are actively engaged with people with lived experience and at-risk populations, focusing on the prevention, response, and remediation of modern slavery harms.
The Advisory Panel is at the centre of the emerging community of purpose driving NSW’s anti-slavery efforts. They provide important, confidential advice to the Commissioner, supporting the sustainable and inclusive implementation of his Strategic Plan 2023-2026: Working Together for Real Freedom.
"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing Advisory Panel members for their outstanding contributions to NSW’s anti-slavery efforts in 2024/2025. I look forward to working with the newly formed group of experts and leveraging their extensive knowledge to further enhance my Office’s strategic projects and reinforce NSW’s leadership in the fight against modern slavery," said Dr Cockayne.
All members of the Advisory Panel are entitled to be paid for their time and expertise and have access to counselling and other support. They serve in a personal capacity and commit to the confidentiality of the Panel's deliberations and engagement with the Commissioner and his team.
The new members of the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner's Advisory Panel are (in alphabetical order):
- Annabelle Codrington has over 20 years of experience in senior growth and leadership roles across the global technology sector, with a passion for using technology to solve complex social problems and empower those without a voice. Annabelle is a committed advocate for the prevention of cultic abuse and using her personal experience to drive meaningful change. Her work is grounded in a belief in dignity, purpose, and the power of human-centred systems to restore agency and hope.
- Matilda Constable-Webb is a nationally recognised advocate and advisor on topics across domestic and family violence, child protection, and modern slavery sectors. Matilda has made contributions to state and federal anti-slavery reform, consulted with the Australian and NSW government sectors, supported in national strategic planning, and co-designed DEI initiatives. Her contribution to the Advisory Panel will focus on providing a systems-informed and trauma-aware lens to improve protections for those with lived experience.
- John Eludai is an advocate for survivors of modern slavery based on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.
- Helena Hassani is the founder and executive director of Boland Parwaz, a survivor-led organisation working to end child and forced marriage. She is also a research assistant at Anti-Slavery Australia, a men’s behaviour change facilitator, and host of the Speak Now podcast. In 2024, Helena was named an Echoing Green Fellow and won silver at the Women Changing the World Awards. She has twice served as a delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women and, in 2023, attended the UN Annual Tripartite Consultation on Resettlement in Geneva. Helena is currently providing specialised consultancy to the OASC as one of the two inaugural Waratah Fellows.
- Julianna is a passionate advocate for preventing forced marriages and addressing modern slavery through education, policy reform, and empowerment. She is committed to creating meaningful change for vulnerable individuals.
- Dr Marieke Jasperse is a cross-cultural psychologist, who is passionate about destigmatising distress and promoting responses that restore dignity and determination. She has provided scientific and survivor-centric insights as an advisor to amongst others the New Zealand government, Salvation Army, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and the UNODC through her participation in their first-ever Global Forum for Survivors of Human Trafficking. Marieke is currently providing specialised consultancy to the OASC as one of the two inaugural Waratah Fellows.
- Sherry Wanjiru is a social worker, advocate, and community consultant with a background in supporting individuals affected by modern slavery. She is a co-founder of Survivor Connections, a researcher at Fair Futures, and Project Officer for the Additional Referral Pathway at the Salvation Army. Her contribution to the Advisory Panel will focus on contributing lived experience and community engagement insights to strengthen survivor-informed strategies and help build a safer, more inclusive future.
The continuing members of the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner's Advisory Panel are (in alphabetical order):
- Måns Carlsson OAM
- Alexander Coward
- Fiona David
- Scarlett Franks
- Lina Garcia Daza
- Luke Geary
- Biba Honnet
- Rizwana Khan
- Dr Sophie Reid
- Fiona Reynolds
- Jenny Stanger
- Siobhan Toohill
- Moe Turaga.
